As medical device technologies continue to evolve, active implanted medical devices have gained increasing popularity in the medical field. For example, one type of implanted medical device includes neurostimulator devices, which are battery-powered or battery-less devices designed to deliver electrical stimulation to a patient. Through proper electrical stimulation, the neurostimulator devices can provide pain relief for patients or restore bodily functions.
Implanted medical devices (for example, a neurostimulator) can be controlled using an electronic programming device such as a clinician programmer or a patient programmer. These programmers can be used by medical personnel or the patient to define the particular electrical stimulation therapy to be delivered to a target area of the patient's body, to alter one or more parameters of the electrical stimulation therapy, or otherwise to conduct communications with a patient.
Despite many advances made in the field of neurostimulation, one drawback is that the electronic programmers such as the clinician programmer rely on manual programming of stimulation parameters. For example, in a typical programming session, a healthcare professional manually sets the electrical stimulation parameters (e.g., amplitude, frequency, pulse width, etc.), tests them with the patient, receives patient feedback, and then manually programs new electrical stimulation parameters until the patient feels maximum pain relief. The manual programming (and reprogramming) of the electrical stimulation parameters is time consuming, and the comparison between two similarly programmed pulses may be difficult when too much time is spent reprogramming between the trials of the pulses.
Therefore, although existing electronic programmers used for neurostimulation have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been entirely satisfactory in every aspect.